Conor McGregor’s controversial return to the UFC takes place tonight, as he faces old foe Max Holloway at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Thirteen years after McGregor outpointed the Hawaiian, and five years after the Irishman suffered a broken leg in the same arena that hosts UFC 329 tonight, “Notorious” faces Holloway in a main-event clash. The bout takes place at welterweight, where 37-year-old McGregor has experience but Holloway, 34, does not.
The fight comes almost two years after a civil jury found McGregor liable for rape, although he continues to deny the allegations against him and appealed the verdict – to no avail.
Tonight’s co-main event pits Liverpudlian star Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett against Benoit Saint-Denis.
Follow live updates and results from UFC 329, below:
Why hasn’t McGregor fought in five years? Rape case, missed drug tests and broken leg
Everything you need to know about the various controversies surrounding McGregor in the five years since he fought:
UFC 329 CARD
Here’s what the regular prelims and main card look like, from first fight to last:
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (featherweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (bantamweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (heavyweight)
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (light-heavyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (lightweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh (flyweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (bantamweight)
Paddy Pimblett vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (welterweight)
UFC 329 PRELIMS BEGIN
Hello everyone, if you’re just joining us now, then you’re joining us in time for the regular prelims!
Here’s how the early prelims played out:
Wang Cong def. Tracy Cortez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Damian Pinas def Cesar Almeida via first-round KO (right cross, 4:44)
Farid Basharat def. John Garza via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ryan Gandra def. Zach Reese via first-round TKO (strikes, 1:15)
Alessandro Costa def. Cody Durden via second-round submission (rear naked choke, 2:19)
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off in ceremonial UFC weigh-ins
Holloway’s final message to McGregor
Max Holloway had one final message to Conor McGregor after their intense final UFC 329 face-off.
“If this guy’s a missile, I’m a f***ing nuke,” he said.
Conor McGregor: ‘The Mac is bringing it!’
“It’s great to be back,” McGregor said before tonight’s return.
“Thank you to all the fans here in attendance, I hope you’re all ready for a blockbuster event tomorrow night. ‘The Mac’ is bringing it!”
Paddy Pimblett tips Conor McGregor to win on one condition
Paddy Pimblett makes his McGregor v Holloway prediction: “If Conor wins, it’ll have to be in the first two rounds, if it goes past that, Max will take over.”
What weight will McGregor and Holloway fight at?
McGregor and Holloway will clash at welterweight, despite both men having fought most of their careers at lighter weights.
McGregor won the featherweight title in 2015 before famously becoming the UFC’s first-ever dual-weight champion by adding the lightweight belt in 2016.
And Holloway is a former featherweight champion, although he has fought at lightweight four times, including in a March loss to Charles Oliveira.
Regardless, he and McGregor will meet at welterweight, where Holloway has never fought before, while McGregor has competed their three times.
McGregor traded wins with Nate Diaz at 170lb in 2016, before stopping Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds in 2020.
Jose Aldo gives his prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2
“They both have tremendous qualities,” Aldo said in a conversation with Covers. “I didn’t really get to fight Conor for very long. I had two opportunities to fight Max. The first one ended with a TKO in the fourth round. My fight with Conor ended in the first round, so it was over very quickly. I didn’t really get to feel his full skill set, but he’s obviously an extremely talented fighter.
“I can speak more confidently about Max’s style. He’s a very intelligent fighter with excellent boxing and a great understanding of boxing. He also has a tremendous ability to read shots and absorb them. Of course, nowadays, after taking so much damage throughout his career, he’s not quite the same as he was back when I fought him. He was in his prime, you could hit him all day and he’d still be there.”
